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3.6 out of 5 stars
43 reviews

Morley Dotes

5.0 out of 5 starsGreat camera, frustrating set up, but still worth getting!

30 June 2017 - Published on Amazon.com

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I have use several different cameras, including a TP-Link that I ended up throwing out because if so many initial issues. My second TP-Link was much better, but this one is AMAZING. As far as I am concerned, this is a no brainer.

The video is excellent compared to previous TP-Link experiences. I have used the 220, 230 and 450. The 230 was good, but not great. the 450 is hands down better all around.

The video is noticeable better than the 230. Even in low light, the 450 is a solid performer and even with full color looks great. This means I can zoom in more, and by that, I really mean that I can crop the video more, or expand it when I am away and monitoring. This one is pointed to my yard/driveway when I am away. This way I can tilt and pan and scan much of the property. The movement is silent and smooth. The controls, from the app, are a little tricky and I think there is a lot of room for improvement. I would like to have better control and a speed control because in close range it is hard to get the angle you want without several attempts. Still, it is smooth. The pan/tilt really gives you a broad view.

The sound is much better than the 230 and mic seems to be stronger. It picks up more sound and it does not sound as muffled as the 230. And like I said, it tilts and pans quietly. Amplifying the sound (using my software) makes it even better!

Set up was a bit of a pain. As soon as I plugged it into my router, it needed a firmware update. It never told me it updated and it lasted for quite some time (15 minutes) until I got tired and backed out. When I went back in, it showed that the firmware had updated. Then trying to set it up wirelessly, it wouldn't recognize my router password. I had to delete the camera and reinstall it (maybe the firmware upgrade caused the problem?) and then it was up and running. I do have to say that it was very frustrating, and normally I would have taken a star off, HOWEVER, with the way it works, I am very happy with it, and the half hour (total time) it took me to set it up is fine.

I wish I had the same controls on my computer, but you don't have the option to pan/tilt. I can only do that on the app on my phone. All-in-all, this is a great camera, and with the recent price drop it is a no brainer!

UPDATE 05/03/2017 - A recent firmware upgrade has added 24/7 continuous recording directly on the SD card itself which you can access via the mobile app. Also with the update the video quality and color reproduction has been greatly improved, completely eliminating the pixelation seen during panning in my original video sample

Original Review Below ....----------------------------------

We've been using the TP-Link NC450 IP camera in our living room and overall very impressed with it as this little camera is a little powerhouse when it comes it picture quality and the number of features it packs from a reputable brand at a very reasonable price, especially when you compare it against more expensive in-home security cameras. Here's our take and experince using the TP-LINK Cam

UNBOXING, SETUP & SAMPLE VIDEOS- Please see the video I've uploaded for the unboxing and initial setup process & day/night video samples . I've indexed the video if you'd like to jump straight to a particular section- Please note that the video samples I've uploaded were the one's recorded over WiFi via the App which means they are several notches below in quality than what the camera is actually capable of if they were taken from its on-board SD card. But i think including the video sample as seen by the app would be more representative as that's its most used feature- All accessories that are required to get started are included with the Camera like a wall & ceiling mounting kit, a screw guide to help drill holes accurately if required, Lan Cable etc. The only thing you would have to provide is your own Micro SD card (which is optional to use)- I really liked the camera design and it reminds me of the character Eve (Eeevah) from the movie WALL-E. with its glossy white finish and rounded shape. It does not look ugly no matter where you place it- The setup process is very simple and straightforward if you use WPS wireless setup and asks to you create a strong password to secure the camera (highly recommended). I was up and running in 5 mins (see video)

FEATURES & USING THEM- There are couple of different ways you can access the camera's video feed : (1) Through the iOS/Google Play App 'TpCamera' (2) Through TP-Link Cloud service at tplinkcloud(dot)com (3) Through the Camera's admin interface by directly typing its IP in a browser, the easiest way to find this would be from the mobile app settings section which should give you the local IP of the camera. In my case it was 192.168.0.11 and (4) Through an on board mirco SD card- The Pan & Tilt range on this camera are awesome , you get get the whole 360 view but it also tilts up and down a good degree as well which can be controlled via the mobile app by swping your fingers over the video feed- You not only hear the audio coming from your room but can also use the app to speak to the camera , like an intercom which is especially useful if you are using this for a kids nursery or for pets . The only downside to this feature is that its one-way at a time i.e You cannot hear the other side when you have the Mircophone/Speak button pressed in the App - Like a radio Walkie-Talkie- You can configure the app to setup motion and sound detection and define hot-zones and alert your of activity (like a crib or a doorway) via a mobile notification or an email. If you have and SD card inserted it will also auto-record when these alerts are triggered. You can also schedule these Alerts to trigger only during specified times of the day- In my video I mentioned that this camera is not well suited for 24 Hr surveillance as its storage capacity is limited by the size of SD card , however digging through TP-Link's website there is a a Windows compatible app called 'TP-LINK Camera Control' that you can find under Support>Management Utility on their website which allows to use the Camera as a dedicated Security Surveillance DVR that can continuously record videos on your computer's HDD in increments of 15 Mins, 30 Mins, 1 Hour , 2 Hour clips .- The Windows App can support upto 9 Cameras simultaneously & a 15 min clip recorded through the Windows App is approx 40 MB , so you're looking at around 3.8GB storage space for a 24 Hour period- The night vision on this camera (with the help of 8 IR LED's) is surprisingly good. It is able to work very well & pull in a lot of detail even in complete darkness (see sample video)- The daytime video quality is very good as well , although it might struggle a bit with high contrast situations like looking directly at a bright window/lamp

COUPLE OF RECOMMENDATIONS- During the initial setup , I highly recommend to connect your phone to the same 2.4Ghz WiFi network which the camera will be using as I had issues when my Tab was connected to my 5Ghz network and configuring the camera (which is only capable of connection to 2.4Ghz WiFi)- You might find that the default 'Normal' Pan & tilt speed to be a bit too fast, luckily this can be changed via the Camera's admin interface by typing its IP in a browser (you can find its IP under the settings option of the Mobile App)- You can also adjust the Brightness, Saturation & Contrast of the camera to suit your needs via the desktop App or the Admin app (this is not available in the moblie App)

THE GOOD- Considering its reasonable prince it does have a lot of useful features like a great Pan/Tilt range, Night vision , Motion and sound detection , scheduling , 24-Hr continuous recording, Two way audio, SD card recording etc- Good daytime video quality and excellent night vision- Multiple ways to access the camera's Live video feed - Through a mobile App, TP link Cloud via a browser, Desktop App or the camera's direct IP interface- Despite using this for a good amount of time I never faced any connection interruptions or issues with the Camera or through its Cloud/Mobile Apps (frame rate drops are more common though)- You can replace the Camera's WiFi Antenna with another standard higher Gain Antenna for even better reception or range

THE NOT SO GOOD- Inconsistent feature set across various Apps such as the Pan speed can only be configured via the Admin interface (not mobile, desktop apps) or the Picture settings can only be set by the Admin Interface or the Desktop Apps (not mobile).- The windows desktop App TP-Link Camera control is prone to disconnections with the Camera and I know that its not an issue with the Camera as its accessible via its admin interface/Mobile App at the same time when the desktop app is having trouble connecting with it- Lack of documentation of all its feature/Apps that comes with the box. The only instructions that come with it is how to connect it to WiFi and download the Mobile apps- For these reasons I take away one star

FINAL THOUGHTSOverall we really like the TP-Link camera that performs as good as it looks with very good video quality for both day & night , Two way audio, 24-Hr continuous recording capability with its desktop app, on-board SD card, Motion detection etc at the fraction of the cost of say a Nest Cam and. Highly recommend

This thing is great I use it to check on my 82 year old mom (piece of mind ) easy set up easy to use all the features on this device work as described did I mention piece of mind and don't forget the main feature they don't mention (PIECE OF MIND) for little money. I use micro sd ultra 32 for 24 hour looping. This camera so far is so awesome I bought a 2nd one and it's looking like a3rd and fourth

Excellent setup experience. Far easier than other security cameras I've had. Very good picture quality. Pan/tilt easy to control with swipe of app screen or virtual joystick on web UI. Can access from smartphone/tablet app (iOS and Android) or via built-in web interface. Can access via Internet/Cloud application when outside of the home or in "local" mode on the local network without traversing the Internet/cloud system. If you don't want to expose your video to the Internet you can keep it all local (unlike some other security cameras.) All around a pleasant experience.

Quick setup - follow the instructions through your wifi system, and it will perform flawlessly. We've had this for about a month, and have had no problems (considering buying another one). The HD picture is very clear while panning a room with distances of 10-20 feet from the camera. Night vision is also good. Control via phone, either at home or on the road, is simple and intuitive. The only thing we haven't tried yet is the motion sensor/recording feature.